Catch Me I'm Falling
by writinggiveslife
Summary: Harry has defeated Voldemort, but at what cost? He has lost so much, including something inside himself. Alone and Angry, Harry doubts anyone could ever understands. HP and SS.
1. Chapter 1

Catch Me I'm Falling

Writinggiveslife

The title comes from one of the amazing songs from my favorite Broadway show, Next to Normal. If you've never heard it, I suggest you look it up on YouTube. You may not understand it if you don't know what the plot of Next to Normal is, but still, a great song.

Up in the Astronomy Tower, a thin figure stood, outlined against the scarlet sunset. The silhouette had stood there unmoving for several hours against staring out into the grounds of Hogwarts. One would see this, and perhaps wonder the reasoning behind the individual acting as a sentinel, when all was seemingly calm. The Dark Lord had been defeated, and his followers were, for the most part, residing in Azkaban.

For those who got a closer look, they would see a teenager wearing an expression that should not be on no youth's face- age. The boy, only 17, remained uncommonly motionless; uncommon for someone of his age.

And those who got closer still would see the uncharacteristically emotionless face of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. The teen stood alone, letting the cold, damp air hit him, pulling at his hair, and forcing his eyes to narrow. He stood there awhile longer, completely still.

After a moment, his eyes began to water, wetting his cheeks, and then stopping as suddenly as they had started. He abandoned his position, and sank to the stone floor of the tower. Though he was hidden from view, he did not remove his mask of indifference. He would not be weak. Not again.

He had been so weak, so helpless and pitiful. He had let people die for him, worry for him. Not anymore. He would no longer give anyone anything to worry about. He would be stoic if it killed him.

He remained like that, crumpled on the cold floor, through the night. No one found him, because no one looked. And that was fine with Harry. He didn't deserve care. He didn't deserve his friends. This had become his mantra, etched deeply in his mind. He deserved nothing. He deserved nothing. He deserved- Harry's silent chant was interrupted by footsteps. They steadily grew louder as the person approached.

The desire to run and hide was quashed as Harry realized he couldn't move. He had skipped a meal too many, it seemed. He had been careful, eating enough so as to not raise suspicion. He didn't want the concern of students and teachers, especially not his friends. Or, he revised, the people who he had called friends before he had proven himself unworthy. But now, despite his precautions, his body refused to leave the spot on which Harry lay. It was all he could do to curl his body into a fetal position, as if it could protect him at all.

Harry listened, eyes closed in exhaustion as the quiet footsteps stopped. He exhaled a hot breath. He had not been found… As he quietly rejoiced, thinking about how he could lay there forever, since he was no longer required as a pawn or a weapon, he was proved wrong.

"Potter…?" The unintentionally whispered word reached Harry's ear as if it had been shouted through a megaphone. That voice… He knew it… Low and quiet… His brain groggily paired it with faces, until it landed on dark eyes and a menacing sneer. Snape. Severus Snape had found him like this… Harry would have groaned if he had the strength. The man's opinion of him couldn't sink any lower, but still… Out of anyone to see him this way, it had to be Snape?

The exhausted teenager made an attempt to lift his head as he racked his half-sleeping brain for an excuse as to why he was sprawled on the floor of the Astronomy Tower. The simple motion, however, was too much for the nutrient deprived body and the sleep-starved brain, so the brain did the only thing it could. It made everything go black as Harry's disheveled form thumped back against the floor, operating only to take shallow, slow breaths and keep his heart beating.

The last thing Harry noticed before his vision was swallowed by black was a pair of black orbs filled with surprise and concern.

The title comes from one of the amazing songs from my favorite Broadway show, Next to Normal. If you've never heard it, I suggest you look it up on YouTube. You may not understand it if you don't know what the plot of Next to Normal is, but still, a great song.

I don't know about this. I may continue it? Really not sure. I know it is extremely short- I am at home, sick, so this was pretty much all I could manage. Just wanted to write it up before I forgot all about it. Let me know if this is worth working on, updating, etc.

writinggiveslife


	2. Chapter 2

Catch Me I'm Falling

Chapter Two

Writinggiveslife

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. Heck, I don't even own the computer I'm typing this on.

Severus Snape cursed the 7th year boy currently thrown over the Potion Master's shoulder as he made his way through corridor after corridor and up several flights of stairs to the Infirmary. He had no idea why he was doing this for the boy- Why the hell had Potter been up there in the first place? It had been hours past curfew… The Golden Boy no longer held himself to such rules, perhaps?

Snape managed a sneer before remembering the rather dire situation. For whatever reason, Potter had passed out in the Astronomy tower, curled into a fetal position. How very un-Potter like… The tall dark-haired man cursed as he stumbled over a step. Though Harry was alarmingly light for a boy of his age, the weight was still enough to throw off the Potion Master's center of balance significantly.

After a few minutes of slow progress, Snape found himself at the door of the Infirmary. He practically fell inside as he pushed the large wooden door open, and pulled Harry off of his back and onto one of the beds. He collapsed into the chair next to the bed as he yelled for Poppy. He knew she'd hear him since her quarters were next door to the sick bay, and she had enchantments to alert her to any sounds coming from patients.

He sat there, his chest still rising and falling a little faster than normal. He had always prided himself on being quite in shape, but it seemed Snape was not used to hauling around an extra hundred pounds across the whole castle. He gazed at the small boy on the bed beside him. His thoughts roamed, but they kept coming back to Potter, and why he had been curled up in that tower… alone. Shouldn't Granger and Weasley be with him? He wasn't sure why, but this bothered him greatly. The Boy Who Lived had defeated the Dark Lord, the least his friends could do was accompany him in whatever mischief Potter had been about to perform.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Poppy rushed into the room wearing a pink bathrobe and looking quite flustered.

"Severus- What happened to Harry? How-" The concerned woman was cut off as Snape began to speak, still looking at Harry.

"I was on my way to the top of the Astronomy tower to clear my head when I came across Mr. Potter, curled up on the floor of the tower alone. He passed out before I could say a word. I believe him to be severely malnourished, judging from his weight, as well as deprived of sleep and overall overwhelmed. Fix him. …Please" Snape added the please as an afterthought, somewhat reluctantly.

Madame Pomfrey set to work on the bedraggled looking boy, sending Severus back and forth several times for potions. The ebony-haired man decided against stating his complete exhaustion for the good of Potter's wellbeing. As he grabbed yet another vial of potion from a shelf, he wondered why he was helping at all. His duties to protect Potter from the Dark Lord were over, yet here he was. He sighed, and strode back to the Infirmary once again.

Madame Pomfrey had given the raven-haired boy multiple nourishment potions, as well as a Dreamless sleep potion as well. She had several different vials lined up for when the boy awoke, and Severus Snape had no desire to sit there with the bedraggled witch while they waited for Potter to awaken. He stood abruptly, and murmured that he would be back momentarily as he left, heading towards the Astronomy Tower once again.

He had noticed Harry no longer had his glasses on, and thought that they were perhaps still at the top of the tower. Not only that, he had also wanted to get away from the boy. He had felt… concerned, a feeling which he felt was rather unflattering for him, the overgrown dungeon bat. He had seen the recognition in Potter's emerald eyes before he had passed out. The boy had seemed somewhere between relief and horror, though Snape couldn't really rationalize why.

Only one thing was clear- the boy needed someone, anyone. He had not had his friends with him, and something told Snape that Potter had not wanted them with him. It was impossible for him to know why, and it didn't matter. What mattered now was that the boy got help.

The Potions Master reached the top of the Astronomy Tower, and as he searched for Potter's spectacles, he couldn't help but recall those eyes… Lily's eyes. He had to help Potter, for Lily. He thought of the red-haired girl, laughing and smiling at him. For him. She had given him so much, and he would not fail her. He would protect her son at all costs. Plucking the pair of round glasses from the stone floor, Severus made a promise to Harry Potter. 'I will protect you, Harry. I will… be there for you, when Granger and Weasley are not.'

He muttered this aloud, realizing how odd it sounded, saying Potter's first name. Odd, but it didn't feel as deplorable as he had imagined it might. He turned, black robes swirling behind him as he headed down the spiral staircase to the rest of the castle. It was time to see Potter.

I know, and I am SO sorry this is so short. Otherwise, you may not have seen it for another few days. I don't know how this turned out- you tell me! Reviews are appreciated greatly, and I always appreciate your constructive criticism. Hey, flame if you want as well. Bring it on!

Well, sorry. Hope it wasn't too horrid.


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